Oops: Starz Announces Hiring of Actor for High-Profile Role, Then Announces That the Announcement Was a Mistake

Starz found itself backpedaling after an erroneous announcement of the hiring of an actor for a high-profile role. The pay-cable channel said its digital division made a mistake when it tweeted that Sam Heughan had been cast as Jamie Fraser in its adaptation of the novel "Outlander," reports Deadline.com.

Starz took down the original tweet, and a representative said that the actor is in talks with the network, but there’s no deal yet. "Outlander" author Diana Gabaldon wrote Friday on Twitter, after the original tweet was taken down: "I can’t confirm that contract is signed, but saw @heughan audition tapes. #jawdrop."

Heughan has appeared in the BBC series "Doctors" and in the 2007 TV movie "A Very British Sex Scandal."

"Outlander," which has sold 20 million copies worldwide, is about a British World War II nurse who time travels to 18th century Scotland, where she falls in love with the warrior Jamie Fraser.